Friday 28 June 2013 07.33 EDT
First published on Friday 28 June 2013 07.33 EDT

A few years ago a battleground was mooted between YouTube and TV, a war fought with the ultimate ambition of winning, engaging and retaining an audience. Cenk Uygur, host of internet talk radio show The Young Turks, believed that YouTube would eventually steamroll TV, however TV was generally reviewed as the winner – a superpower that would take some shifting.

Just a few years on and the world has shifted significantly. In this dynamic digital world, consumers now flock to YouTube for a significant amount of their video content needs, be it entertainment, information, connection with like-minded individuals or the latest and greatest piece of content, all within seconds of it going live. With this in mind, it is arguable that Uygur's prediction has become a reality.

YouTube's evolution

YouTube has invested heavily in evolving and tailoring its offering and this investment shows no sign of abating. Its most recent foray – forming relationships with production companies to commission exclusive content and pay-per-view films, is perhaps the clearest sign of YouTube fulfilling its ambition: to "grow up". And with recent projects, such as the YouTube Comedy Week, going down well with consumers across the globe this ambition could be realised much sooner than traditional broadcasters expect.

This is great news for consumers. The "grown up version" of YouTube not only taps into our growing desire to self-select the content that appeals to us, it marks a shift in the dominance of broadcasters dictating what an audience should want to watch and how.

A BBC programme feels like a BBC programme. A Channel 4 programme, with its core format to shock and titillate and hit the same structural beats no matter what the show, will feel like a Channel 4 programme. There is a desire to make sure something is a 'hit' which means tried and tested ideas are consistently rolled out, leaving little space for creativity and even less for diversity.

With YouTube, it's a completely different power dynamic. Both audiences and more traditional creators are able to make limitless programmes, giving YouTube a massive advantage over traditional broadcast channels. Indeed, its flexible model allows YouTube to give its audience more freedom to create and interact with content, which makes it more authentic and, arguably, more engaging. This is a fundamental thorn in TV's side as it attempts to battle YouTube – it simply can't compete on unique content provision; the internet is a place where people can be free creatively, without the constraints of what a broadcaster demands in structure and content.

Broadcasters are making in-roads but not fast enough

Broadcasters clearly aren't oblivious to matching technology and audience demands. 4oD, iPlayer and ITV player are all incredibly popular. But the blurring line between online content and traditional programming is likely to mean broadcasters get left behind. You only have to look at the incredibly popular $100m commission 'House of Cards' starring Kevin Spacey on Netflix, which prompted director Peter Kosminsky to say: "If I were a traditional broadcaster watching, I would have been shitting it", to see that the threat is very real. Broadcasters' attempts to commission their content online are arguably not enough.

The big question for me as a TV production company creative director is where do we sit within all this?

Traditionally a production company will make minimal fees on the making of a programme (commissioned by a broadcaster) and a greater percentage on international sales of the programme or the programme format. The opportunities online simply don't provide the broadcaster or producer with an income to rival the traditional TV model, so online gets 'de-prioritised'. But with YouTube now commissioning production companies for content it will be interesting to see how the industry takes shape.

The forgotten group in the battle

So, production companies and broadcasters are at real risk of losing out, but there is a group that is already losing out. A section that holds a crucial key in the battle – brands.

Whilst they are starting to understand that their audience will trust them to provide an array of product services and content that fits their interests (All Saints recently started their own production company to create music videos and documentaries, and Virgin have been diversifying their offering for years), the majority of brands have not realised that they can reach more people, more consistently, for longer and cheaper online than the traditional advertising model allows.

With brands transitioning from 'interrupters' to 'enablers', they are becoming more of a part of consumers daily life. They are helping and enabling rather than interrupting in a 'here's a message from our sponsors!' kind of way. So arguably now is the time for brands to step up in the battle; the time to start thinking like and becoming broadcasters. If they get it right they have an incredible opportunity to create connections with their audiences that they never thought possible.

With consumers demanding more and more video content, and actively seeking out content, brands need to develop a strategy for their content. It needs to be centred on compelling content that will appeal to the audiences the brand is looking to attract. Indeed to fully engage with an audience online brands have to work out why consumers are search for/viewing their content.

TV advertising is one-way communication. It needs to be attention grabbing, a clever idea and enjoyable. Online content is completely different. The current generation are predisposed to actively seek out what they want to watch, and if brands can position their content correctly then the opportunities in online content are copious.

But what does this mean when it comes to YouTube? Well, they may have the advantage of more unique content, but unless more brands get involved it could struggle to provide the volume of quality coverage its audience demands, the quality content that will help YouTube become a true rival to TV. Where YouTube pales in comparison to TV is in the quality of content, and without the full backing from brands it is likely to remain this way.

The freedom of YouTube is an opportunity brands would be foolish to ignore, as they can express their brand in whatever way they wish, unlike in traditional broadcast, all at a fraction of the cost of a TV commercial. What brands may not realise is that after 'liking' a video, as many people will visit a brand's associated YouTube channel as will visit their website. But up until now they are only dipping their toe into online content, unwilling to take the risk which would ultimately provide them with a cost-effective and measurable dialogue with their consumers, a risk which continues to hold YouTube back.

Who wins?

The juggernaut that is online content is only going to gather pace as more consumers seek out content rather than viewing the content programmes broadcasters set out. The rise of internet-enabled TVs is making the challenge even greater. By giving consumers more access to online content YouTube is on the crest of this wave and is only getting stronger. TV isn't out of the fight yet, but it's certainly down for the count. Unless it can readdress its formulaic nature, or there is another significant shift, YouTube will emerge victorious – and I'm sure there will be more than a few consumers cheering it on.